Ah-Choo! The Uncommon Life of the Common Cold

After reading Ah-Choo! The Uncommon Life of the Common Cold, I don't ever want to touch a doorknob or stay at a hotel again.

Apparently while it's nigh near impossible to catch a cold from french kissing someone (since cold virus isn't readily spread from mouth to mouth), you're a goner if you have kids, work in a school, or pretty much touch any interior surface without wearing a hazmat suit.

Turns out that most cold virus isn't transmitted via airborne particles, so coughing,sneezing, or slobbering all over each other isn't as dangerous as you'd think. But steer clear of supermarket cart handles and money--dammit, both of those are things I touch a lot. Elevator buttons are also little cold factories, says author Jennifer Ackerman.

I suppose I shouldn't complain--if I get a cold, at least I can blow my nose. Apparently Wally Schirra and the other astronauts of Apollo 7 all caught colds and had to deal with a runny nose in space. No gravity, no tissues, no good.

Author Ackerman is very good at what she does--this book is both a really entertaining read and a great resource, and I love books that teach me something useful without having to work at it. For some reason, this has been catalogued at our library in the young adult section, but it's probably more appropriately shelved in nonfiction. Bottom line: Read the book and wash your hands both before and after.

And if you like Ackerman's tone and style, pick up any book byMary Roach. Her book, Stiff, made me rethink dying altogether.